In 1968, the electors of Florida granted local voters the power to adopt charters to govern their counties.  Charters are formal written documents that confer powers, duties, or privileges on the county.  They resemble state or federal constitutions and they must be approved, along with any amendments, by the voters of a county.

According to several Florida constitutional scholars, the establishment of charter government was designed to remove the resolution of local problems from the state legislature’s busy agenda and to grant the county electorate greater control over their regional affairs.

To date, there are 20 charter counties in Florida. Collectively these counties are home to more than 75 percent of Florida’s residents.

CountyYear Charter AdoptedNo. of MunicipalitiesPopulation (3 / 2021)
Alachua19879271,588
Brevard199416606,671
Broward1975311,932,212
Charlotte19861187,904
Clay19914219,575
Columbia2002270,617
Duval19685982,080
Hillsborough198331,478,759
Lee19965750,493
Leon20021299,484
Miami-Dade1957342,832,794
Orange1987131,415,260
Osceola19922387,055
Palm Beach1985381,466,494
Pinellas198024984,054
Polk199817715,090
Sarasota19714438,816
Seminole19897476,727
Volusia197116551,588
Wakulla2008233,981